We’ve taken a look at some of the finest courses in Ireland, and the most popular, to see how much it costs to play a round or become a member
Waterville Golf Course in Co Kerry(Image: Waterville Golf Course)
Ireland will be the centre of the sporting universe in two years’ time when the Ryder Cup is held at Adare Manor in Co Limerick. JP McManus’s luxurious destination has long been a paradise for golfers and their other halves, and has hosted the likes of Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy many times in the past.
Irish golf has been riding high now for two decades and may have reached its peak moment when Shane Lowry drained the putt of his life at Bethpage Black.
After the major success of Padraig Harrington, Shane Lowry and northern trio McIlroy, Darren Clarke and Graeme McDowell, sports fans here expect Irish players to take on and beat the word’s best.
That all starts on the driving ranges and golf courses of Ireland where the game is first played. It’s not an inexpensive sport, however. While a bucket of balls at a range may cost €10, a round of golf here can cost anything from €15 to €500.
For comparison, the most expensive golf memberships in the UK belong to elite private clubs, with Beaverbrook Golf Club in Surrey often cited as having the highest initiation fee, reportedly over £300,000.
USA golf memberships have initiation fees and annual dues that can reach into the hundreds of thousands and tens of thousands of dollars. Sebonack Golf Club in New York has an initiation fee of $650,000 to over $1 million, with annual dues not publicly disclosed. Liberty National in New Jersey has a $450,000 to $500,000 initiation fee and estimated annual dues of $29,000.
We’ve taken a look at some of the finest courses in Ireland, and the most popular, to see how much it costs to play a round or become a member. There are also plenty of courses out there for the high handicappers.
Adare Manor
Rory McIlroy at Adare Manor
Where better to start than Adare Manor, where Europe will defend the Ryder Cup in 2027. It is one of Ireland’s finest golfing destinations, welcoming guests from around the world.
Green fees for 2026 from May to October have been set at €550 per person for residents. The club state that it is a pre-requisite for all golfers must utilise the services of our elite caddie program. A caddie fee is listed at €120. Membership packages are available but only on request.
As an interesting aisde, right next to the entrance for JP’s finest resort is Adare Manor Golf Club. This is not the same course and you can get a tee time there for €40.
Ballybunion Golf Club (Old Course)
A general view of the 10th green at Ballybunion Golf Club(Image: 2018 R&A)
The Kerry course is one of the finest anywhere in the world, let alone Ireland, but it will cost you. Green fees are €400. Annual membership is currently closed. There is a €500 two-round offer including the Old and Cashen Courses for 2025.
Lahinch Golf Club (Old Course)
Lahinch will host the 2026 Walker Cup
Further up the Wild Atlantic Way is the stunning Lahinch golf course on the Co Clare coast. A round here will cost a visitor €375. It is a private members club and not accepting new memberships.
Record green fee income of €3.3m at Lahinch Golf Club in 2024 contributed to the club making an operating surplus of €1.72m. US golfers usually make up a sizeable chunk of the green fee income and the club’s annual report that raising green fees to €375 2025 would see green fee income increase to €3.8m in 2025.
Rosapenna Golf Resort
This stunning resort in Downings, Co Donegfal features no less than three top class courses and you can get to play all three on a package for €550. You can play at the Old Tom Morris Course over the winter now for as little as €60. The St Patrick’s Links designed by Tom Doak is set at €120 for next year, with international visitors having to fork out €350.
The 463 yards par 4, 2nd hole on the Sandy Hills Course at The Rosapenna Hotel and Golf Resort(Image: Getty Images)
For the Sandy Hills Links at Rosapenna, it’s €240 for foreign visitors and €90 for Irish golfers.
Portmarnock Golf Club
General view of Portmarnock Hotel and Golf Links (Image: INPHO)
One of the most popular golfing destinations in Ireland it at Portmarnock, for obvious reasons. Based on the edge of the capital and only a stone’s throw from Dublin airport, a round here will cost €405.
Membership packages are only available on request. The course is fancied to host the Open in the coming years as the R&A looks to build on the success of playing the major championship on Irish soil up in Portrush.
The European Club
A view from behind the green of the par 4, 8th hole at The European Golf Club(Image: David Cannon/Getty Images)
The prestigious Irish golf course, The European Club, was sold in May 2025 for over €35 million to former BMW dealers Ray and Nicky Conlan. You can play a round of golf at the Wicklow course for €320. Tiger Woods holds the course record with a dazzling 67. Reflecting on his round, he remarked: “What wonderful optical illusions. I thought some of those par-4s were par-5s. A great links.”
Waterville Golf Links
This stunning course in Kerry is often talked about as one of Ireland’s finest – but it will cost you. They offer green fees from €350-€375 during the main season and has an International Membership with an initiation fee of $21,800 for those 40 and over, plus annual dues of €1,090 (single) or €1,417 (family).
The Island Golf Club
The Island Golf Course, in Donabate(Image: The Island Golf Club)
The Island Golf Club enjoys a unique setting bordered by sea on three sides in Donabate, Dublin. Green fees for a round there are priced at €325. It’s a classic links course set in a rugged terrain and nestled between the highest sand dunes along the east coast.
Trump Doonbeg
The golf course at Doonbeg (Image: Steve Carr Golf)
The 2026 Irish Open will be held at Donnbeg in Co Clare, famously owned by US President Donald Trump. A round there costs between €250-€430 depending on the time of year and the day of the week. Membership packages are only available on request.
The K Club
Rory McIlroy celebrates with the Amgen Irish Open trophy at The K Club this year(Image: ©INPHO/Bryan Keane)
The Palmer South course at the famous Kildare venue is designed primarily as an inland links course. A round at the K Club costs approximately €125–€245 for visitors during the April-October peak season and €90–€130 in the November-March low season, with specific prices varying by the course (Palmer North or Palmer South) and whether you are a hotel guest or a visitor. You could become a member of the course for €1,900 a year with an initial joining fee of €500.
Royal Portrush
Royal Portrush Golf Club(Image: Getty Images)
The eyes of the golfing world focused on Royal Portrush this summer for the 153rd Open. It regularly ranks among the best courses in the world and demand for membership there is high.
There is a waiting list to become a member, and there’s also a fee. However, it’s nowhere near as costly as the likes of Beaverbrook in England or some of the exclusive clubs in the United States.
The annual fee for a membership at Royal Portrush is £2,000. There is also a one-off joining charge that is also pretty hefty but is undisclosed until you contact the club.
In 2026, you can play the Dunluce Links for £420 between April 1 and October 31, if you fancy a one-off round. Playing the Valley Links will cost £200 per person in the same date range, with caddies also available to hire.
Royal County Down
Rory McIlroy in action during day four of the Amgen Irish Open 2024 at Royal County Down Golf Club(Image: Jan Kruger/Getty Images)
Royal County Down, set against the magnificent backdrop of the Mountains of Mourne, has been voted as the world’s finest course and poses a seriously difficult challenge for even the most elite golfers.
The RCD club does not publicly list its membership fees because it is a private club. Information on membership is typically provided only upon direct inquiry with the club.
You can play at various times from mid April to October 2026 for a sum of £450 per round and concessionary rates are available throughout the summer to golfers who are members of Golf Ireland.
Best of the rest
The Old Course at Ballyliffin(Image: PR HANDOUT)
Co Sligo Golf club costs €295, while the nearby Enniscrone Links course costs €235. Baltray, where Shane Lowry famously won the Irish Open as an amateur charges €350. Just pray you get better weather than when the Offaly hero claimed his national title in 2009.
The spectacular Ballyliffin Golf Club boasts the Glashedy Links and The Old Links with green fees costing €300. Tralee Golf Club is as good as anything on Irish coasts, and a round there costs €375.
Portsalon Golf Club is another beauty on the majestic Ballymastocker Bay in Co Donegal. A round there is a more afforable €170. Back in the capital, the Royal Dublin Golf Club on Bull Island charge €295.
The Bunclody Golf Club in Wexford is another popular destination, with a high quality course set beside the Slaney river at very affordable prices. A round there on the Championship course will cost just €50 on weekdays in 2026. It’s €70 on Fridays and €80 at weekends. An annual membership there will cost €1375. For students it’s €572, and €200 for kids.
Starting out
A young golfer tees off at Greencastle Golf Club in Co Donegal, overlooking Lough Foyle
If you are not quite at the highest level yet, there are countless places to work on your slice and get your game in shape. For example, Deer Park Golf in Howth, Dublin offers 18-hole green fees around €30 for regular play and €35 for weekend play.
There is also a 9-hole course where a regular green fee costs about €25, and weekend rates may be slightly less than €20. Also in Dublin, Corballis Golf Links boasts a stunning 18-hole golf course hugging the north Dublin coastline. Their average prices online are €35 at weekends and on weekdays it’s just €30.
In nearby Co Meath, R&R Dunboyne’s green fees are €14 for 9 holes and €17 for 18 holes on weekdays, and €15 for 9 holes and €19 for 18 holes on weekends and bank holidays.
Up in Donegal, Greencastle Golf club is available for just €40 per round for visitors with GUI membership and boasts some stunning scenery overlooking Lough Foyle.
